5:2 Diet Recipes for leftovers – Chicken and Leek Casserole

Chicken and Leek Casserole or Soup – a 5:2 Diet Recipe for leftovers.

It’s back to work and back to the 5:2 diet for me. I’ve had family staying over Christmas and the New Year so I’ve been cooking more and making richer food than normal. On New Year’s Eve we had some fabulous thyme and lemon butter stuffed poussin and panettone bread and butter pudding – a calorie bomb! So, I’m trying to use up the leftovers in the form of healthy meals, even though my guests are not following the 5:2 diet, and while I’m not fasting for a full day I am doing 16:8 and trying to ensure that what I eat during the 8 hours is no higher than my TDEE (that’s total daily energy expenditure for those of you who are curious – a measure of how many calories you need to maintain your current weight).

I boiled up the poussin carcasses to make stock, and we did have some left over chicken. Enough to feed three of us using this ultra simple recipe. Luckily for me, it’s one of those meals that is filling and comforting but not horribly calorific. I’m not honestly sure whether you should call this a casserole or a soup. It’s somewhere in between, too substantial for a normal soup – but something that you definitely serve in a bowl, so perhaps not quite a casserole.

Ingredients

3 Medium Carrots (cleaned and sliced (peel if you like, I don't usually bother unless the carrots are very old))

1 Medium Potato (peeled and diced)

600ml Chicken Stock

2-3 shots 1 Cal Spray

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Step 1

Spray a heavy based pan with 1cal or wipe with a few drops of oil on a piece of kitchen towel

Step 2

sweat the leeks and carrots for 5 minutes over a low heat, then add the potato

Step 3

Pour over the stock and bring to the boil

Step 4

Simmer gently for 20 minutes or so till the potato is soft. Add water if necessary, so you have a thickish soup or a liquid casserole(!)

Step 5

Mash lightly with a potato masher to break down the potato, then add in the chicken

Step 6

Heat through, taste and adjust seasoning

Step 7

Serve with fresh soda bread (for non-dieters!)

As I have guests staying I made a soda bread loaf while it was cooking. I’d forgotten just how easy it was! Sadly I didn’t have any spelt flour or even any wholegrain flour. But it was still delicious – and so far has stopped me opening more Christmas chocolates.

If you are on a 5:2 diet fast day this recipe is under 200 calories. It works well for lunch or supper and is a great way to use up small amounts of chicken leftovers. You could add in different vegetables if you want a change, but I particularly like the sweetness of leeks.

Good luck to anyone who is starting the 5:2 diet or any other weight loss diet this year. I’m continuing to fast at least one day of the week, because I do want to maintain last year’s weight loss, so I will continue to share my 5:2 diet recipes with you